Spring Break
Two wins against Wildcats will improve tournament seeding
Jake Goldberg
Issue date: 2/20/09 Section: Sports
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The Huskies (19-9-4, 12-6-1 Hockey East) sit in fourth place and can improve their standing if they are able to defeat the Wildcats (20-5-5, 14-2) twice. These are the last two games of the season before the Hockey East tournament, and if the women hope to win the tournament, they will likely face New Hampshire again.
"We need an impact win inside of the conference for the season; this would be it," said head coach Heather Linstad. "We will have to win at least one of these games this week."
Linstad has said that she feels her team can beat anyone on a given night, but that it will take a team effort with everyone contributing in order to do so.
This will also be the last regular season and home game as collegiate athletes for five UConn players: goalie Brittany Wilson; defenders Brianna Uliasz and Samantha Reid; and forwards Nicole Tritter and Kristin Russell.
"One thing I can definitely say about this group of seniors is that they were consistent," Linstad said. "They always put us in good situations and helped to bring us high in the rankings and helped the development of our program."
Wilson has been a major player in goal for the Huskies since her sophomore year when she played in 31 games and finished with a 17-14 record. She followed up the next year with an even better 16-7-4 record, and this season has seen almost all the action in net going 15-6-3, recording a 1.77 goals against average.
"Wilson has been good in net for us for a long time now," Linstad said.
Brianna Uliasz is someone who remains unnoticed while playing defense for the Huskies; however, she has played every single game, except for one during her freshman year. Uliasz has been a constant feature in the Huskies' zone for as long as anyone on the team can remember.
"The thing about Brianna is that she is so steady, and has been for so long now," Linstad said. "Sometimes people don't think about her while she is out there, but I really appreciate how well she has played for us."
Nicole Tritter has played in almost every game since she was a freshman and has recorded 29 goals and 29 assists to date. Tritter has consistently helped the UConn offense during her career and has brought firepower when the first line comes off the ice.
Russell has been named a Hockey East All-Academic All-star to go along with stellar play on the ice. Russell is another senior that has played in almost every game since she was a freshman. This season Russell achieved career highs in assists with six.
Samantha Reid has been hampered with injuries during her career at UConn but when on the ice has been productive as a defender. She hurt her shoulder early in her freshman campaign and was forced to sit out the sophomore season as well while she recovered. She recorded 15 points in 34 games last season and has played in 16 games this season.
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